How to increase Instagram engagement: 22 useful tips
Here we get you the top 22 incredible tips that will help you increase Instagram engagement.
Tip 1: Get to know your audience
It’s difficult to make great content if you don’t know about people that you’re making it for.
The demographics of your target audience will help you define the kind of content you post, your brand voice, and even what days and times to publish.
For example, the offbeat indie clothing label Fashion Brand Company targets people with a bold sense of humor — both product offerings and the tone of its posts reflect that.
For more info on identifying your audience, check out our guide to conducting audience research.
Tip 2: Get authentic
On social media platforms, it’s better, to be honest, and relatable than perfectly polished. Share content that goes beyond your slick marketing campaign to show the real people and experiences behind your brand.
That might mean sharing behind-the-scenes footage in an Instagram story, writing a caption that reveals a cheeky sense of humor, or taking ownership of any mistakes.
This meme shared by A Practical Wedding garnered thousands of shares and comments from an audience who found the less-than-perfect joke about wedding culture ultra relatable.
Audiences appreciate your honesty more than perfection… after all, don’t you?
Tip 3: Share great images
Instagram, if you didn’t notice, is a visual medium. And while you don’t need to be an Annie Leibovitz to thrive on the platform, creating images that stand out from the news feed is important.
Even if you’re not a great photographer or graphic designer, there are a million tools for helping you give your pic a little oomph.
For example, Canva’s design templates are a simple way to add layers of text or add filters. You can also edit photos directly using the Hootsuite Compose and add text and filters to them.
Tip 4: Post carousels
When you’ve gotten the hang of creating eye-catching images, try posting carousels. Carousels — Instagram posts with multiple images — are an effective way to build engagement. (And, as luck would have it, we list some beautiful Instagram Carousel templates right here for you!)
The social team of Hoosuit finds that their carousel posts get 3.1x more Instagram engagement, on average than their regular posts.
It could have something to do with the fact that the algorithm re-serves these kinds of posts to followers who didn’t engage the first time around, giving them a second or third opportunity to make an impression.
Tip 5: Post video content
The video is both eye-catching and engaging. So engaging, in fact, those posts with video get about 38% more engagement than images.
Don’t overthink it: video content doesn’t need to be overly polished or perfectly edited. (Remember that “authenticity” tip from earlier?) Shoot now, give it a quick edit, and get it out into the world.
There are a million tools that allow you to mix scenes, add in music or text, download a free or paid video editing app. InShot and Magisto are great ones.
Tip 6: Write strong captions
A picture is worth a thousand words. However, a thousand words are… also worth a thousand words.
Instagram captions can be added up to 2,200 characters in length, and up to 30 hashtags. Write compelling captions, add context and show your brand’s unique personality.
Get our tips for creating the perfect caption here.
Tip 7: Create saveable content
Creating reference material your audience will compel to save in their Collections can earn you a little engagement boost, too.
Instagram account So You Want to Talk About creates simple-to-grasp reference material on a variety of complicated topics that are perfect for saving in a Collection or Story Highlight.
Add a “Save this post” call-to-action to a carousel post with tips, a how-to guide, or recipe video to encourage users to come to visit this content again later.
Tip 8: Go live
Using Instagram Live to stream live video is a great way to connect directly to users, share news, and engage more.
80% of audiences would apparently rather watch a live stream than read a blog post. Give ‘em what they want!
With Live video, you can answer questions live, welcome viewers by calling their names, and generally welcome your audience into your world in an intimate, engaging way. You can also build an eCommerce audience with Instagram’s new Live Shopping feature if you’re so inclined.
Here’s our Instagram Live complete guide for getting your broadcast going.
Source: Instagram
Tip 9: Craft compelling content
Posting product pics every day is going to get a bit old after a while. Mix it up with a varied content schedule.
Contests, polls, questions, and quizzes break the routine and directly encourage your audience to get involved and interact with your brand.
Hi Alyssa Comics, for instance, did a custom card giveaway to celebrate a follower milestone, prompting users to share and interact with the post.
Find more Instagram post ideas here.
Tip 10: Share audience content
It’s tempting to treat your Instagram account like a one-way street, but social media is a conversation, not a broadcast. Ensure that you’re listening and engaging with fans when they reach out.
One great way to do that is to repost or share audience content. If someone tags your tequila brand in a post about an out-of-control Margarita Monday, toss that post up in your story.
The Las Culturistas podcast shared listener compliments of its 12 Days of Culture holiday countdown in its own Instagram Stories. A shout-out within a shout-out, like a little Stories Inception.
Source: LasCulturistas
They’ll feel thrilled you were listening, and other followers may be compelled to start tagging you in their own content.